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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27194791">brand new beginnings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/grizzlysnare/pseuds/grizzlysnare'>grizzlysnare</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>tidal memories [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Life Is Strange (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(i care deeply), Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/F, Freeform, Gender Dysphoria, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Multi, Recreational Drug Use, References to Drugs, also everyone is in their late 20s/early thirties, also loads of trans headcanons bc we're sexy, also there is sex, also this is based on a roleplay with my swag partner, anyway, band au, but warnings will be given for that, enjoy the read (or not i don't care), okay serious tags done, the roleplay is ongoing but the fic does have an ending</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:42:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,878</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27194791</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/grizzlysnare/pseuds/grizzlysnare</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Max is back in Arcadia after everything she used to know came screeching to a halt, but she finds solace in a new friend. Chloe Price is back in Arcadia because of a suddenly flourishing music career, but is suddenly forced to deal with her addiction and past relationships head on. Both of them try and put the past behind them, in terms of friendship and in terms of their own personal struggles. That's easier said than done.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Original Female Character(s), Past Victoria Chase/Chloe Price, Past Victoria Chase/Maxine Caulfield, Rachel Amber/Chloe Price, Rachel Amber/Original Character(s), Slight Chloe Price/Maxine Caulfield, Victoria Chase/Kate Marsh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>tidal memories [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985227</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. you know her?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>“Yeah, I grew up with the lead. Her real name is-”</p><p>“Chloe,” They both said. Anja’s face went from vague confusion to excitement. She leant her elbows on the bar top, her eyes like saucers.</p><p>“You know her? Holy shit, Max! How come you never, like, told me?”</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Max could barely focus on her work. Stupid teaching course. Stupid degree. Stupid. Well, it wasn’t stupid, it was what Max wanted to do. Bringing the joy of photography to more teenagers-who-think-they’re-adults. Even if she was coming up for thirty, Max still felt like one of them. She put her pen down after a few more minutes of overthinking an answer to a question, running her hands over her face, then looking up and over to the bar. Back in Arcadia. Back to the bar that was mostly just a café, but pretended to be a venue. </p><p>She caught the glance of Anja, a bartender she’d met after she moved back from Seattle. Again. But that was a whole other story. She caught the smile of Anja, too. After a moment of air-headedness, she smiled back. Anja was really pretty. Her hair was a different colour almost every week. This week was green. Bright green. It curled slightly at the ends, leaving Max astonished as to how it wasn’t completely destroyed from the constant dyeing and re-dyeing. </p><p>“You want another tea?” Anja leant her elbows on the bar top as she spoke. Max was glad they made friends. Customer service voices creeped her out.</p><p>“Maybe a coffee? I feel like I should be more awake than I am,”</p><p>“A <em> coffee? </em>Woah there, tough guy, Don’t out-do yourself.”</p><p>Max rolled her eyes, but couldn’t quite reach the amount of exasperation she was pretending to feel. Obviously, she wasn’t actually annoyed. Okay, maybe a little bit, but that was just her consistent need to impress looming over her. Considering what brought her back to Arcadia, she felt like that was a justified side effect.</p><p>“Shut <em> up. </em>Gimme the damn coffee. Please,”</p><p>“Well, since you asked so nicely.”</p><p>Anja turned around, wiping off the little… coffee ladle <em> thing </em>, before dispensing the ground coffee into one, beginning to get it ready to actually pour. Max let her eyes wander. First over Anja, before stopping. Definitely creepy. Even if they had fucked a couple days ago. So, instead, her gaze trailed around the room. Several band posters of varying quality, strange stains on some of the walls, people already drinking during the afternoon. Arcadia’s finest. </p><p>
  <em> Nice going, me. Here again and it still freaking sucks. </em>
</p><p>At times like this, she more than understood why Chloe left (and why she wrote so many songs about how bad the place was). Sure, Arcadia had that hipster art vibe, but… it was pretty trash. Aside from Anja. Anja didn’t belong in this trash heap, working a job that barely paid for the medical bills she had. Her best friend didn’t deserve this town. Actually, this town didn’t deserve her one bit.</p><p>“Not one fricking bit.”</p><p>Anja turned around, espresso in hand, quirking an eyebrow. Max flushed, realising that was one of those times where she didn’t keep her own thoughts out of her mouth. </p><p>“Once you’re done going all Shakespeare on me, your espresso is waiting, Maxy.”</p><p>
  <em>Maxy.</em>
</p><p>She really liked that nickname. It made her feel nice and warm, as well as just appreciated. Her ex never called her that. It was always ‘Maxine’. Maybe ‘Max’ if she wasn’t feeling like a bitch. Not a bitch. That wasn’t fair. Max had a huge part in all the shit from back then. That wasn’t important, though, what <em> was </em>important was her coffee. Also her work, but that could wait.</p><p>“You look like you wanna ask me something. And you got a coffee stain right…” Anja paused, reaching forwards. Max looked slightly dumbfounded as the woman wiped the coffee off of her top lip, “...there. You’re welcome. Anyway, tell me what’s going on in that smooth brain of yours,”</p><p>“Oh, um. Well… <em> hey! </em>My brain is as wrinkly as yours is, asshole!” That earned her a look from the regular drinkers. Max shook her head, scowling. The expression definitely didn’t meet her eyes. “I wanted to ask if you were free after work, but since you’re gonna be so mean to me, then I dunno.”</p><p>She was joking, obviously, she could barely even keep her face straight. </p><p>“Is this you asking me to hang out, or is this you being too awkward to ask me to come round and have sex?”</p><p>“<em>Anja! </em>”</p><p>“What? It’s better to be honest, Maximus. Heh, Maximus Prime,”</p><p>“Believe it or not, you aren’t the first person to give me that nickname.”</p><p>Anja rolled her eyes with a laugh, whilst Max almost choked on her coffee, trying not to think about the previous mini-discussion. It was kinda about sex, but it was also more. She just wanted to hang out with her newfound best friend for a while, that was the main thing. The sex was nice, though, when Max felt up for it. Not that Anja would take anything less than extremely enthusiastic consent.</p><p>“Are you listening to me, Dorkus Maximus?”</p><p>“Wuh…?”</p><p>“I <em> said </em> that I was free tonight, but not for long. There’s a set on in the early hours and Matt wants me to cover his shift. But that’s at like… one. I’m free from ten,”</p><p>“Why don’t you just ask Matt to get someone <em> else </em>to cover the shift? You could stay the night.”</p><p>Anja squirmed. Max wondered if she’d asked too much. Was it weird to ask a friend to stay the night? She didn’t <em> think </em> so, but then again, she was pretty socially inept and never really had enough friends to practise social norms with, especially not through the past few years.</p><p>“I <em> would </em>, but… look, it’s a band I really like, okay? PCS.”</p><p>Max responded with a blank stare. She wasn’t really into the same bands Anja was, but then again, she didn’t think any bands with Anja’s music tastes really fit into the scene here. If a ‘scene’ was middle aged white dads and their failing dreams of being in a punk band, or dead end pop punk duos with questionable dating habits.</p><p>“Platinum Club Sex? Lead singer goes by like Turtle Heart? She grew up here?”</p><p>Suddenly, it clicked. Anja grinned when she saw the lightbulb turn on in Max’s head, or at least, that’s what Max guessed she was grinning about.</p><p>“Oh, yeah, I know them. Haven’t spoken to them in years, though,”</p><p>“They’re really good, right? Oh, also-...! <em> What? </em>You know them?”</p><p>Max blinked.</p><p>“Yeah, I grew up with the lead. Her real name is-”</p><p>“Chloe,” They both said. Anja’s face went from vague confusion to excitement. She leant her elbows on the bar top, her eyes like saucers.</p><p>“You <em> know </em>her? Holy shit, Max! How come you never, like, told me?”</p><p>“It never really came to mind, I guess,” Max suddenly felt like a bit of a groupie, grimacing at herself, “and I don’t <em> know her </em>know her. I grew up with her, she’s a childhood friend. She actually went to the school here. She left like a year before I came or something. Didn’t you go to Blackwell?”</p><p>“I… no? I don’t remember saying that. You probably have me mixed up with someone. A few of the girls working here did.” Anja’s smile was a little strained. Max decided to not push the topic, but Anja <em> did </em>look familiar. It didn’t matter, not really. She’d rather forget Blackwell, anyway.</p><p>“Yeah, it might have been that. My memory’s always a little foggy, anyway. Blackwell was awkward, too. Not because of Chloe, I was just a really awkward teenager.” Max was well aware she was rambling. She tended to do it to diffuse tension, not that there really was any tension, but Max imagined it up, anyway.</p><p>“Right. Anyway, talk to me about Chloe? Please? I wanna look cool when she shows up. Oh, I could say I know you!”</p><p>Max cringed at the idea, then realised she would have to explain why her reaction was so visceral.</p><p>“Uh, maybe don’t do that. Chloe and I haven’t always, like, had the best friendship. I mean, we were amazing when we were little, but we kinda had a lapse in contact and like… recently I said I was free after years, but uh… I missed the call. That was a couple weeks ago. So I’m not sure she’d wanna hear about me,”</p><p>“Wow. A lot. But that’s okay. I’ll work it out.”</p><p>Max smiled gratefully, then stretched out, almost falling backwards off of the bar stool.</p><p>“Woah there, cowboy!” Anja reached out, holding Max’s arm as she got steady again, which made Max blush.</p><p>“Thank you. Um, also, I do need to go pick some film up, so are you sure about coming round later?”</p><p>“Film? Are you buying pornos, or something?” Anja was teasing, her smile wide and her eyes twinkling. Max still got flustered, pulling her arm away with a frown, cheeks warm. She was glad Anja couldn’t see her blushing, or anyone, for that matter. She went red very easy.</p><p>“<em>No! </em>Like camera film, dumbass. God.” She crossed her arms, looking away, then softened almost immediately. Even if Anja was cackling, clearly unscathed, Max still felt bad. </p><p>“You don’t have to give me those eyes. I know you aren’t actually mad, don’t worry. Now go forth and collect your porno. Sorry, film. I’ll just stand here freaking out about Chloe Price and how fucking ethereal she is. Joking. Kinda.”</p><p>Max laughed, grabbing her bag, laptop and notepad. She waved, smiling as she walked out, but it fell as soon as her feet hit pavement. <em> Ethereal </em>. Anja never called her ethereal. She knew it was a joke, she also knew that her and Anja weren’t anything special, but… it still hurt.</p><p>She put her earbuds in, grabbing her phone and shuffling until she found a song. She walked to the photography shop with Syd Matters playing, then walked home with the off-tune screams and shouts of PCS, making an effort to try and remember the words.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. on behalf of your lady</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Max answered the phone awkwardly, her hands wet. She just got out of the shower, still a little bit flustered from what had happened about an hour ago. Anja’s voice filled the room as she put the phone on speaker, rubbing herself down with the towel, then taking her shower cap off, her afro drooping a little bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Max, I’m gonna shit myself, she just mentioned you,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? Are you on the phone in front of her? Am I on loudspeaker?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’m in the storage cupboard. I have no idea what to say, I said I was going to grab some napkins.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max sighed audibly, opening her clothing drawers, slipping on some more comfortable underwear that she could mooch about the house in. One of her dogs barked at the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Scoob, downstairs! Anyway, I… what do you want me to suggest? Did she sound angry, or what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, she didn’t sound angry. She did sound drunk, though. But otherwise okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Drunk? Chloe said she’d never drink. That was like when they were eleven, though. Things change, Max knew that.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay… Anja, if you feel that bad about lying to her, just say you know me. I guess I don’t really mind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anja released a breath, laughing a little bit. Max’s expression was a little sour as Anja began to rave about Chloe again. She knew it was stupid, or unhealthy, or obssessive, but she felt increasingly jealous. It’s not like it mattered. Chloe was in a relationship and even if she wasn’t, Anja was just her friend. Max couldn’t tell her who or what to like. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, she has nice eyes, anyway,” Max felt bad for suddenly being so blunt, feeling the urge to tear her hair out. She continued in a nicer tone, “Sorry, Anja, I’m just a little stressed about her coming back for a lot of reasons. I’m not stressed because of you. I also miss you and I have way too much on my mind,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You miss </span>
  <em>
    <span>me?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The shock in Anja’s voice made Max’s heart hurt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Duh. </span>
  </em>
  <span>You’re the one good thing that’s happened to me for a long time. I miss you really bad, sometimes, and…” </span>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>was getting on the verge of being too much, Max stopped short, literally biting her tongue as she pulled an oversized shirt over her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And?” Anja’s voice crackled as the signal broke a little bit. Scoob barked downstairs, which Max supposed she couldn’t really tell him off for. He was still a little bit of a puppy, anyway. Not literally, but mentally.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I forgot what I was going to say. Don’t worry about it. Enjoy the set, though, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, Max. I did actually have something to ask,” Anja spoke nervously, sounding like she was fiddling with something in the background. Her tone made Max’s heart start to beat a little bit faster, even if it wasn’t going to be anything of importance. Probably.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um, ask away,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I spend the night? As in, when this is over and my shift is finished. My bedroom stinks of paint because I’ve been redecorating and your bed is comfier anyway. My flatmate can take care of Wednesday.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wednesday was an aging black cat who looked as though a gust of wind could rearrange her skeleton if it blew at just the right angle. Max liked Wednesday, but she always smelt of fish and dribbled absolutely everywhere. Not that different to owning two great danes, but cat drool stunk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The question at hand, however, sounded a lot more intimate than usual. Anja had spent the night before, but it had never been planned. It had always been something they did for convenience’s sake, rather than anything else. But this time it was a request. A request that had Max panicking slightly, even if it was something she was hoping to hear for months.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… yeah, sure! I’d actually really like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a moment of silence between the two of them. Unspoken words, maybe? Probably just on Max’s behalf, but the way Anja decided to depart the call didn’t make her too sure of that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I gotta go. I call you back once I’ve had a break. I’ll make sure to get all of the embarrassing details of your childhood,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You do realise that Chloe wasn’t even there for what I call the most embarrassing detail of my childhood, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll get her to tell me the moderately embarrassing parts, then. I’ll get the most embarrassing one out of you somehow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that, Anja hung up. Max laughed a little bit, then awkwardly realised that Anja definitely would inquire about the most embarrassing moment of her life. She pulled on a pair of pyjama shorts, then opened her bedroom door. Scoob shot up the stairs, barking loudly, then jumped up to put his paws on her shoulders, looking down at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, okay! Treats only, you’ve already had dinner. Go find your brother.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Scoob tilted his head, taking his paws off of Max and putting them on the floor with a thump. He went back downstairs, Max following close behind. Scoob’s unofficial brother, Luka, was napping on the floor underneath the longue heater. Max went into the kitchen, reaching into the freezer. Both dogs sat behind her when she turned around, probably having heard the door of what their whole life revolved around. She placed one frozen treat in front of Luka, and one in front of Scoob, then gave them the okay. They both ran off out of the kitchen, with Max hearing teeth on ice soon after. Frozen meat broth. Max thought it looked gross, the dogs loved it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anja wanted to spend the night, beyond sex. Wanted to sleep in the same bed as her. At first, Max felt amazing, as she expected. Then dread set in. Old, familiar dread, the type she felt when she would fall asleep in Victoria’s arms. Before the two of them stopped sharing a bed. She didn’t want to dwell on what caused that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The creeping sense of feeling so uncomfortable in her own body started to creep up on her. She frowned, looking off to nowhere in particular. Sleeping alone was fine, but presumably there would be cuddling involved. More intimate than sex. Anja would be able to feel every little insecurity Max had. How uncomfortable she was with herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max brushed the feelings to the side when her phone rang again, picking up. Anja. She could ignore the dread for her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, Max. I’m here with Chloe to recount the tale of the Wine Incident, circa two-thousand and six.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max groaned, but then heard Chloe laugh, saying hello a little sheepishly. Her old friend </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> sound drunk, but didn’t sound resentful. The phone call felt like it ended too soon, with Chloe having to go do her last set of songs for the night, but it ended with a request. A request for a promise that Max would catch up with her the next day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her gut twisted, but she agreed. After all, Anja would remind her in the morning and Max didn’t have anything planned. No more putting it off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I promise. Have fun, Chlo’,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right back atcha. I’ll hang up on behalf of your lady.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Beep.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max sincerely hoped that Anja didn’t hear the closing sentence.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>SORRY THIS WAS SO DIALOGUE HEAVY... anyways guys and gays i hope you liked this chapter... in the process of writing three and four currently. writing is so much easier when you have the story planned out in advance. a warning will be in beginning notes in chapter three, but as a pre-warning to the warning, the next chapter does have a short description of sex. it's not central to the story, though, and only lasts like a couple paragraphs so you can scroll past easy</p>
<p>love you all and stay safe!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tysm for reading!!! i'm literally avoiding essays to write this so... here we are. also, not that i've seen many transphobes in this fandom, but if there happen to be any reading, please just fuck off immediately lmao,, my enby lesbian ass wants nothing to do with you. to all my trans folx... later chapters may become a little intense dysphoria wise. i'll give fair warning in the beginning notes before chapters i deem triggering. </p><p>leave a review, even if it's just gay screaming.</p><p>also, yes, chloe's stage name is stolen from wicked. turtle heart is a god amongst men and i think it also fits in terms of a shitty metaphor</p></blockquote></div></div>
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